China Open: Kashyap progresses into round 2

Parupalli Kashyap was the lone Indian singles winner on the opening day of the Li Ning China Open, last of the Premier Superseries events for 2012.

Kashyap had skipped the Denmark and French Opens to focus on his preparation for the China Open. From 8-all in the opening game, he steadily gained over his opponent, Henri Hurskainen of Sweden, and closed it out 21-15. The second followed the same pattern. After 11-all, Kashyap raced ahead to take the match, and will take on seventh seed Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam, against whom Kashyap has a 3-3 head-to-head record.

Kashyap’s compatriots PV Sindhu, Ajay Jayaram and Guru Sai Dutt fell in three hard-fought games. While Sindhu lost to veteran Japanese Eriko Hirose, 22-20 14-21 21-19, Jayaram lost to recent French Open champion Daren Liew of Malaysia, 21-18 16-21 21-14. Guru Sai Dutt could not get past Japan’s Takuma Ueda in a battle that stretched for over an hour, 11-21 21-13 21-11.